


Skin Deep

by Tuxedo_Elf



Category: Legend of Zelda Linked Universe, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Warriors
Genre: A look into Warriors' head, Friendship, Gen, injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:40:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25934542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tuxedo_Elf/pseuds/Tuxedo_Elf
Summary: After the battle at the monster camp, Warriors and Hyrule are bruised and bloodied and there's not enough potion to heal everything. When the cuts to Warriors' face stay, Hyrule takes matters into his own hands.What happens after the battle and Warriors' feelings about those gashes.
Comments: 14
Kudos: 92





	Skin Deep

**Author's Note:**

> A little something that's been on my mind since that update!

Skin Deep

Xxx

The roaring din of the raging battle ended almost as quickly as it began, the screams of dying monsters and clashing steel fading into nothingness. The only sound was from two exhausted heroes trying to catch their breath as they stood in the middle of the devastated battlefield. 

It was Hyrule who broke the quiet first, his cheerful optimism almost out of place amongst the desolation.

"See? No problem!" He grinned, wiping a trail of blood from his split lip.

Warriors snorted, pulling himself upright with effort. "Absolutely. We didn't nearly get killed or anything like that." He moved to sheath his sword and immediately hissed in pain as his arm protested at the movement. 

"You're hurt." Hyrule's smile immediately dropped and he moved to look at the arm Warriors was holding close to his side. 

"And you're not?" Warriors frowned, noting the many cuts and bruises that littered Hyrule's face alone and the bleeding lip that showed no sign of letting up.

"I'm just a bit bruised!" Hyrule protested, though Warriors didn't miss how short of breath he still sounded.

"Of course. Just bruised." 

"Right." Hyrule smiled again and then shrugged, a movement that immediately revealed his lie. His hand wrapped around his torso as his face contorted in pain.

"Ow..." 

"Sounds like more than a bruise to me." Still holding his left arm close to his side, Warriors leaned forward to examine the other hero. 

"Fine. Maybe some broken ribs." Hyrule paused, trying to move. "Possibly a punctured lung. Maybe." 

Warriors groaned. They were both a mess. There was blood from his face running down his neck, the lizalfos claws causing deep gashes. His arm was agony. Broken, without a doubt and made worse by his using it to pull Hyrule back. 

"Potions," he muttered, reaching to a small pouch that, thank Hylia, he kept on his right. 

It wasn't a full size bottle. Those were too big for carrying around and likely to get broken in battle, but it was enough to heal the worst wounds - for one of them. "Do you have any?"

"Some." Reaching into a pocket, Hyrule produced a similar sized bottle, though it was only half full. "I used half the other day and we're getting low, so I haven't refilled it. But it's okay, it's enough for the ribs. The rest will heal on their own." 

Warriors nodded. "Same here I'm sure." The throbbing in his arm told him that the whole bottle was going to be needed for that alone. Flipping the cork from the top, he downed the contents before he had chance to taste it. 

Immediately, he could feel it going to work. There was an easing of tension in his arm and an unsettling tingling as the bones shifted back to where they were supposed to be. It was a sensation he never quite got used to, but he knew the targeted power of the potion was doing exactly what it was made for.

There was a reason these potions were so expensive. Having a broken arm healed in minutes, rather than in a splint for weeks, did not come cheaply and there was always a twinge of guilt that came with taking one. But as he experimentally moved his arm and found no pain, the guilt faded dramatically. 

"Better?" Hyrule asked, himself poking at his newly healed ribs. "That was just enough I think."

Warriors nodded, raising his arm to sheath his sword. "I'm good now. We got off lightly, all things considered." 

"We did I... wait... your face..." Without waiting for permission, Hyrule pushed away the bloodied hair sticking to Warriors' cheek to reveal the three deep scratches that there hadn't been enough potion to heal. "Oh no." 

"It's fine... they're not serious." Warriors stepped away, slightly irritated when Hyrule followed. "The bleeding should stop soon and they don't really hurt." 

"But they're so deep..." Hyrule could see how far they'd cut into the soft flesh of Warriors' cheek. 

"I'll live. There wasn't enough potion for everything, remember?" Warriors gestured at the cuts and bruises that still marred Hyrule's face.

Hyrule looked at the Captain. The normally polished armour muddied and bloodied, his hair clinging to his face, the beloved scarf stained with the blood from the cuts. He knew Warriors took care of his appearance, that it mattered. The gashes had to be bothering him more than he was letting on. 

"Stay still." 

Hyrule held his hand up until it was almost touching Warriors face, hovering just over the gashes. Then he began to whisper, a string of strange words that Warriors couldn't make out. 

"What are you doing?" 

Warriors tried to pull away, but there was a warmth coming from Hyrule's hand and he found he couldn't. His face tingled, much like his arm had with the potion and he felt a gentle tugging on his cheek. 

"There." The warmth faded and Hyrule's hand fell away. The smaller hero sat down heavily on the muddy ground, his breathing almost harsher than it had been when the battle ended. 

Warriors touched his face. Though there was still blood, he could feel the smooth skin, devoid of any injuries. He looked down, to where Hyrule was panting. "You idiot. What did you do that for?" 

"You're welcome." Hyrule rolled his eyes. "You know, normally people say thank you when I heal them." 

"Sorry." Warriors shook his head. "I didn't mean to be rude... you just shouldn't have. You were already exhausted. Why would you make it worse?" He held his hand out to help Hyrule up.

The traveller took it and got to his feet with help. "They were deep. If we'd left it, they would have scarred. I didn't... I didn't think you'd like that." 

The moment he said it, Hyrule regretted it. Warriors went stiff, his expression growing cold as he pulled his hand away. 

"Why do you think that?" There was a tension in the Captain's voice that he'd never heard before.

Taken aback by the sudden shift in mood, Hyrule fumbled for words. "I um... I... I just thought... scars on your... on your face would... bother you because... because you... you know..." he paused, rubbing the back of his neck as he tried to explain himself. "Legend caught you using his mirror shield that time... and you seemed bothered so I thought..." 

Warriors sighed, a look of tired resignation in his eyes. "So you thought the state of my face was the most important thing? Because that one time I had a black eye and was checking the damage the best I could? Despite what people think of me, I don't tend to carry a mirror." He ran his hand over his newly healed face. "We don't have time for this, let's just forget it. Thank you for healing me. We should go and find Sky." Turning, Warriors began to walk away. 

"Hey, stop!" Hyrule dashed after him, catching Warriors by the arm. "Hey! Talk to me!" 

"I'm fine, really." Warriors tried to keep walking. 

"No, I don't think you are," Hyrule insisted. "And I don't understand why."

"It really doesn't matter," Warriors insisted. "I just... I thought you were different, I suppose. I wanted you to be."

"Different?" Hyrule wasn't sure if he should be insulted or not. 

Warriors stopped, his shoulders sagging as he gave in to the inevitable. "I thought you saw *me*. Not just my face."

"Oh."

A long, painful silence followed that single word. When Warriors realised that Hyrule was waiting for him to continue, he did his best to gather his wits.

"It's all people ever see. The *handsome* Captain." Warriors' lip curled in disgust. "Or when I was younger, before the army, the *pretty* boy. No matter what I do, good or bad, people's opinion of me always comes down to how I look." 

"But... but you're always polishing your armour..." Hyrule said weakly. "And we've seen you worrying about your clothes..." 

"Of course I take care of my uniform!" Warriors threw his hands up in exasperation. "But it's not what people think. I'm a captain, with troops to command. I'm expected to present a certain image; so that's what I do. If I looked like I'd just rolled in a hayfield I'd get no respect. But a few scars wouldn't change that." Warriors ran a bloody hand through his hair. "You can take pride in your appearance without being obsessed by it."

"I'm sorry," Hyrule said quietly. "I just... I just wanted to make you happy."

"I know." Warriors' tone softened. "I do know that and I *do* appreciate it. I just... maybe if I had kept them people would finally *see* me. I'm tired of it all. Cia started a war because she liked my face. She could have picked any of us to target, but she wanted me. And that's not a compliment. People died in that stupid war. Because she just had to have me. Because of how I look."

Warriors gestured to the now silent battlefield. "Do people really think I'd have joined the army if I was worried about scars?"

"Well... now that you mention it, I suppose not," Hyrule said thoughtfully. "That wouldn't be very sensible." It was really nothing short of a miracle that Wild was the only one of them with any significant facial injuries. 

"You know what the worst thing is?" 

"What?"

Warriors laughed bitterly. "It's all so *temporary*. I'll either get scarred in battle or beaten to a pulp by a moblin. And if by some miracle I don't, if I reach retirement without being killed or maimed - then I'll get old. My looks will fade, my hair will grey and the pretty boy will be a distant memory."

"I never thought of that," Hyrule said quietly. "I suppose I never gave much thought to getting old." 

"Most of us don't." Warriors' hand rested on his sword. "A hero's life isn't the safest and the odds of living that long are slim. But either way... looks are fleeting. And I'm so tired of having my worth based on mine. So when you... when you *exhausted* yourself because of it... I snapped. I'm sorry. I just don't want anyone else to be hurt because of me."

"It's okay." Hyrule replied. "I should have asked before I did it. I never knew all that. Did Cia really start the war because of it?" 

Warriors nodded. "She had access to any one of us. But she became obsessed with me. My picture was all over her temple; actually I think it still is. I'd burn that place to the ground if I could." 

"I had no idea. I wish... I wish I'd realised there was so much going on with you."

"I'm not blaming you. I just wanted you to see me differently."

"I do now. And I won't forget." Hyrule looped his arm through Warriors. "I promise. This has... shown me a lot about you and... I like what I see." He smiled hesitantly. "On the inside." The smaller hero shook his head. "It's funny... I always envied you, how you were often the centre of attention and able to charm anyone. I guess nothing is ever as simple as it appears. I'm glad I know better now. I'm glad I know *you* better now."

Warriors felt his tension ease and a very old weight lift from his shoulders. He regretted lashing out after Hyrule had only tried to help, but fortunately the Traveller's good nature had kept their friendship intact. "I'm glad you do too."

"You know," Hyrule said thoughtfully, "that things arm is probably around here somewhere. If you're that bothered we could always put them back!" He managed to look completely sincere for a moment before his expression cracked and he grinned. 

Warriors laughed loudly. "That's probably taking it a bit too far, don't you think?" He chuckled, rubbing his cheek. After all, they actually *had* hurt despite his insistence that they hadn't.

"Probably, yes," Hyrule grinned. "But I got you to smile."

"You certainly did." He was touched by Hyrule's efforts. So much care and compassion for others was a rare thing, even more so in those who had struggled so greatly in life. He didn't deserve this friendship, but by Hylia he was grateful for it. 

Warriors squeezed Hyrule's arm affectionately, unable to put that emotion into words and hoping actions would suffice. 

"Come on, we really need to find Sky."

Hyrule's eyes widened. "You're right, he could be miles back. I hope he's not in trouble."

"I think he'll be fine, we got the worst of it. But we should hurry anyway." After his outburst, he was keen to leave the place behind.

They left the destroyed monster camp at last, though the smell of burning followed them some distance into the woods. 

"Captain?" Hyrule asked when it was too quiet again and not even the birds could be heard.

"Yes?"

Hyrule looked at Warriors with eyes that were wide and bright. "I hope you do live long enough to get old and grey." 

Warriors smiled, more at ease and content than he had been in years. 

"You too, traveller. You too."

END


End file.
